by Valerie Jones | Featured Contributor
Happy New Year! It’s a shiny, brand new year, and many of you will be working on setting goals for your business and your personal life this month. January is the month of new beginnings. A fresh start. Time to look at things differently, or consider how you might want to change things to spark growth over the next twelve months.
I’ve never been much of a goal setter. I tend to be more of a ‘take life as it comes’ kind of gal. Life unfolds, and I make decisions in the moment. It’s worked pretty well for me, up until now.
Now, I am focused on building my business. I have some big things I want to accomplish this year, and I know that if I don’t have a solid plan, I probably won’t see them happen. ‘Take life as it comes’ just doesn’t cut it anymore.
And yet, the traditional goal-setting model doesn’t turn me on. Methodical. Logical. Choose an objective, plan out the strategy, set a completion date.
Yawn.
I’m sure this works for some of you, and if so, that’s great! Go for it! Knock yourself out with your calendars and day planners! I salute you!
I also believe there are a lot of you that are like me – you would rather stick an ice pick in your eye than set goals that way. For you, it sucks all the life out of them. It reduces your dreams and visions to a tedious schedule that you have to comply with, and it turns it into a big ‘to-do’ list.
If that’s you, then listen up. I’ve been looking at my goals in a new way, and it’s got me all fired up. Many of you have heard of Danielle LaPorte. She’s a kick-ass writer and speaker, and her book, The Desire Map, is all about setting and achieving goals in a new way. If you haven’t read her book, and you can relate to what I’m saying, then Go. Get. It. Her concept is awesome, and it’s revolutionized how I set goals. Here’s what I’m getting out of it, and want to share with you.
How do you want to feel?
That’s it. How do you want to feel? When you wake up? When you go to sleep at night? When you’re sitting at your desk, or driving your car, or eating your dinner? What are the feelings that you long for? Maybe it’s peace. Or passion. Or happy, exhilarated, challenged, proud, alive, or free.
Connecting with your desired feelings will help you to connect with why you are doing what you’re doing. It will bring clarity around your goals, and help you to determine if you’re chasing after the right things or not. Maybe one of your goals just isn’t lining up with your desired feelings. If not, then consider that it might not be the right goal. Sure, it might bring financial reward, or more clients, or a larger following. But if it doesn’t bring you the feelings you long for, it might be the wrong path. If what you’re chasing is fulfillment, passion, and a sense of purpose, and you are connected with that, it helps you to determine what path you should be on.
Sometimes, what seems like a logical goal, isn’t the right one. And, turning away from that goal, and setting your sights on a goal that really fires you up, but logically might not look as good, can be the key to launching your business in a new direction.
When you are connected to how you want to feel, and you are clearly focused on moving towards those feelings, you are aligning with the Universe. You will start to see opportunities that support your intentions. You will be awake to what areas of your life need your focus. And you will begin to get more satisfaction from your work.
And when you begin to get the feelings you want – when you start to see that the goals you are working towards are bringing you joy, excitement, freedom – whatever it is that you most desire – you will have more drive, more passion, more motivation than ever! Your work will become your passion, and that changes everything!
So in this New Year of blank pages just waiting for you to write on them, consider changing your focus.
Instead of obsessing over dates, strategies, and achievements (although these are all good too!), consider taking some time to think about why you’re doing all of this in the first place. Consider shifting your focus to how you really want to feel, and choosing goals that align with these feelings. Work towards creating a life, a business, that brings you all your desired feelings, and you will start to show up different. The energy you put out will reflect this, and people will notice. Everything you do will be charged with excitement and purpose.
Enjoy your planning, your visioning, your dreaming. Go for what you want, and how you want to feel. Make 2016 the year you create more in every way. Show up with intention and purpose, and watch what happens!
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Valerie Jones is a Life & Transition Coach. She is passionate about helping women create the lives they’ve always wanted – not the lives they think they ‘should’ be living, but a genuine, authentic life that is a full expression of their birthright. She brings humour, compassion and wisdom to her coaching and to her writing, and creates a safe space for others to express their truth. She is also a corporate coach, working with the United Nations and eBay. She lives in British Columbia, Canada, and has three amazing children who are bridging into adulthood, which is a whole new ball game as a parent. Valerie loves good red wine and travelling whenever and wherever the opportunity arises.
Valerie Jones is a Life & Transition Coach. She is passionate about helping women create the lives they’ve always wanted – not the lives they think they ‘should’ be living, but a genuine, authentic life that is a full expression of their birthright. She brings humor, compassion and wisdom to her coaching and to her writing, and creates a safe space for others to express their truth. She is also a corporate coach, working with the United Nations and eBay. She lives in British Columbia, Canada, and has three amazing children who are bridging into adulthood, which is a whole new ball game as a parent. Valerie loves good red wine and traveling whenever and wherever the opportunity arises.
